LaTeX

LaTeX is available on CSLab, RCS, and probably most other campus computers. To apply it to latex source file mydoc.tex, run latex mydoc This produces a DVI file, mydoc.dvi, which can be converted to a Postscript file, mydoc.ps, with dvips -o mydoc.ps mydoc or to a PDF file, mydoc.pdf, with dvipdfm mydoc Pdflatex is a tool that produces a PDF file directly from a LaTeX source file mydoc.tex: pdflatex mydoc produces mydoc.pdf. Using a LaTeX package called hyperref, e.g., with \usepackage[plainpages=false,pdftex,colorlinks,backref]{hyperref} causes cross-references and citations to appear as hyperlinks in the resulting PDF file. To download a LaTeX system (free) for use on a Windows box, visit MiKTeX The MikTeX distribution includes utilities dvips, dvipdfm, and pdflatex. The original LaTeX manual, by the system's creator, is Leslie Lamport, LaTeX: A Document Preparation System User's Guide & Reference Manual, Addison-Wesley, 1986, ISBN 0-201-15790. Another possibility is First Steps in LaTeX, by George Gratzer. Beginning LaTeX users (and some veterans) sometimes make errors that cause no complaint from the LaTeX processor but do result in poor formatting. The following short note discusses some common problems and how to avoid them: D. R. Musser, Elements of LaTeX Style (Postscript file), November 24, 1998.